LORD HARRISasked the Under Secretary of State for War, with reference to the Order requiring a minimum number to be present at the two Yeomanry troop drills for which extra pay is granted, Whether discretionary powers could be granted to the General Officer commanding the district, at the request of the officer commanding the regiment, to allow pay for such drills, although the minimum number should not be present? The result of the order would be to give it greater elasticity, so that the danger which at present existed of the best troop losing the allowance owing to the absence of one or two men would be obviated. The noble Lord said that the subject deserved greater attention than had been bestowed upon it. The agricultural depression had told more heavily upon the Yeomanry Cavalry than upon any other part of our Volunteer Army. Their expenses were very heavy, and the allowances made were inadequate. The Yeomanry, too, deserved greater consideration than any other corps, inasmuch as, if certain conditions were fulfilled, they were bound to render compulsory service.
THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE (Lord SANDHURST)My Lords, the Government have no want of sympathy with the Yeomanry, or any other portion of the Auxiliary Forces; but I regret to say that they cannot agree to the suggestion contained in the Question of the noble Lord. To make troop drills of any practical use it is necessary that as many men should be induced to attend as possible, and under former Regulations the attendance was unsatisfactory. Therefore payment for certain drills was arranged as an inducement for men to attend; but when payment was conceded a stipulation was made that not less than two-thirds of the enrolled strength should be present, or there would be no pay. The drills and minimum attendance were settled by a Committee of officers under Major General Elkington, the then Deputy Adjutant General for the Auxiliary Forces, the intention being to insure the instruction being productive of good results; and the Secretary of State for War does not feel disposed to 1468 alter the existing Regulations so lately made.
THE EARL OF CORKsaid, he was inclined to concur in the answer given by his noble Friend, as he thought the attendance at the drills of the Yeomanry ought to be as large as possible. As an old Colonel of a Yeomanry corps, he could bear personal testimony to the fact that the concessions made last year by the Government had caused those drills to be much better attended than they were formerly, and had increased the efficiency of the men. If power were given to relax any of those Rules the attendance would not be so large.
§ THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGEsaid, that in the last two years he had inspected two or three Yeomanry regiments. The condition of those regiments was certainly far better than it was formerly, and was as creditable as it could be under the difficult circumstances of the service. He was bound to say that if the drills were to be of any use there must be a certain number of men present. He fully agreed in what had been said as to the value and the efficiency of the Yeomanry. In his opinion, the Regulation now existing could hardly be changed without disadvantage to the Yeomanry themselves.
§ VISCOUNT BURYsaid, he agreed that a certain number of men must of course be present, and thought that perhaps a hard-and-fast line must continue to be laid down. But there was a certain difficulty in that respect, inasmuch as when the commanding officer had to find fault with the men he was obliged to find fault with the wrong ones. If he found that there were one or two men fewer than there ought to be in attendance, it was no use for him to pitch into those present and tell them that they ought to come, for they were there already, and perhaps they had incurred considerable expense in coming there. Yet that expense and trouble would go for nothing, because other men had not turned up, and consequently the troop drill could not take place. He could not help thinking that the commanding officer might have a certain discretion as to the exact number of men who should attend, though he did not see what other answer the noble Lord opposite could give than the one he had made to the Question of his noble Friend.